Human Rights Film Festival Lugano

Jury Statement: The FRASI Award is presented to the film To a Land Unknown by Mahdi Fleifel for highlighting with great sensitivity and depth the urgent and tragic plight of people in exile, immobilized at Europe's borders, where humanitarian rights and social justice are conspicuously absent. The film allows us to empathize with the impossible choices these individuals must face in unbearable circumstances, as well as with their simple dreams of a dignified life in a context that denies them both fundamental rights and recognition as human beings. We pay tribute to the outstanding work of the Palestinian actors, especially Mahmood Bakri in the role of Chatila, who conveys with strength and tenderness the inner turmoil of these heartbreaking choices, striving to maintain dignity and humanity. We commend the director for the film's gripping pace, paired with a deeply empathetic storytelling ability that keeps us on the edge of our seats until the very end and beyond. This award also aims to highlight the importance of visibility for Palestinian artists, particularly in the context of the ongoing genocide inflicted upon their population-already occupied, displaced, exiled, forcibly uprooted, and dispersed - amidst the deafening silence of Western governments.